Meeting
by Hell-Heaven
Summary: Kite wasn't the only one trained by Ging. There was a girl, too, named Ayane Ashvalle. Kite x OC. Rated for mild language, just in case.


Meeting

Kite ran down the alleyway, holding tight to the picnic basket in his arms. The white haired boy had been out stealing food again, and this time, he had enough to last at least a week and a half. Turning the corner, he whistled to his dogs, and handed them each a piece of food before splitting up again. He knew they'd meet up again in the sewers.

"Hey, you!"

Looking up, he saw a girl about his age standing on the rooftops, arms crossed defiantly and legs spread apart. Not sure what to make of her, he eyed her warily, clutching the basket tighter. "What do you want?" he asked. Her violent green hair, pointed, elfish ears, and bright orange cat-like eyes disconcerted him just a little, not to mention her tough-looking exterior. "Stealing is wrong! I'd never expect a girl to be such a thief!" she yelled back. Kite puffed indignantly. "I'm not a girl! I'm a boy!"

The girl quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? You sure look like a girl to me. How come your hair's so long? Why's it white? How old are you? Don't your parents ever make you get a haircut?" Kite's face shadowed. _'She asks too many questions.' _"I don't have any parents…" he muttered. Her pointed ears wiggled. "What? Are you an orphan?" He shook his head. "N-No…I have…family…" She jumped down and tried to approach him, but he stepped back.

"Then how come ya gotta steal from people, huh? It's not right. Now give that back." She reached out and grasped the handle, but Kite jerked away from her. "Listen, Thief-Girl (or boy, whatever). This ain't yours, and you gotta give it back. You coulda just asked nicely." Kite scowled at her and wrenched it out of her hands. "Leave me alone!"

He turned and ran, and her yells echoed behind him. Luckily, he knew the streets better than she did, apparently, and he managed to get away. This was before he met Ging.

OOOxxOOOxxOOO

"Now listen here, Mr. Hunter. I heard you're the best there is. So I want ya to teach me. I don't want anythin' else, just training." Kite sat up when he heard that voice. '_Hang on, I remember that voice!'_ Peeking out from behind the tree, he froze when he saw that same shocking emerald hair, and that same defiant stature.

His teacher, Ging, was watching the girl with disinterest. "Yeah? What makes you think I wanna teach you?" The elf-like young teen stood even taller. "I can handle anything you dish at me! I got what it takes! And I'll prove it to ya! I'll jes' follow you until you give in! I'll show you I can be a fighter!"

And that's precisely what she did. She tracked them for months, and often, they'd find signs of her presence. Kite deduced she was almost like a feral creature. She somehow managed to claw scratch marks in trees like any other creature. Kite tried his best to avoid being seen by her, but he knew she knew he was there.

Eventually, Ging gave up, and he pitted Kite against the girl, who declared herself to be Ayane Ashvalle. The moment she laid eyes on Kite, she yelled out and pointed at him. "Hey! I remember you! You're that thief girl!" A vein mark appeared on Kite's forehead and Ging turned away to hide his laughter. "I told you, I'm not a girl! I'm a boy!" Ayane growled and slid into a fighting stance. "Just remember, I won't go easy on you, whether you're a girl or not."

Gritting his teeth, Kite pulled out his katana. "Hey, we get to use weapons? Great!" She flicked her wrists and two blades appeared in her hands. "Come at me, dude!" Kite launched at her, and she parried his sword with her blades. "Is that the best you can do? I can beat you in hand-to-hand combat!"

She spun around and moved to deliver a kick, but Kite just barely saw it coming. He ducked and her missed attack threw her slightly off balance. However, it was just enough for Kite to land a blow to her shoulder with his sword hilt. She jumped away and began dancing back and forth on the balls of her feet, darting from one direction to another, creating two after images.

Kite's eyes had a hard time focusing on all the multiple Ayanes. He struggled to figure out which one was the real one, but it was too late. A hand came from almost nowhere and punched him hard in the gut. He coughed and stumbled away. A sharp jab just below his shoulder blade made him spasm slightly, and he dropped his sword. "Ha! Nerve endings; they're the same for everybody!" He gritted his teeth and pivoted 90º to punch her in the chest, sending her rolling away.

He thought she was done for, but apparently, she was tougher than he knew, because she jumped right back up again. "I told ya. You can't beat me in hand-to-hand combat. I've been wrestling and fighting since I was four! I live for this!" Retracting her blades, she ducked behind him and wrapped his arms around his stomach. Leaning back almost to the ground, she lifted him up and slammed his head into the dirt.

"Ow! Damn it!" Kite brought his hands down and flipped over, sending Ayane flying into a nearby tree. She sunk to all fours and shook herself for a moment, as if trying to shake something off. She staggered to her feet and tossed her head like a horse, shaking her long mane of emerald hair.

"Ok, I'm good now." Ayane purred loudly and Kite watched as her already slitted pupils became even thinner, and her canines grew longer and sharper. She dashed forward, but was suddenly jerked back from behind. "What the-!" She froze when a blade appeared at her neck. "I win," Kite proclaimed from behind her. He let go of her and dropped her to the dirt. Ayane scowled and unhappily beat the dirt from her pants.

Kite smiled despite himself. That had actually been fun. "Here." He extended his hand to her, and she looked up in surprise before taking his hand and pulling herself up. "Thanks…" Kite adjusted his cap and tossed his hair over his shoulder. "I'm Kite. And just to be clear, I'm a boy." Ayane scratched her neck. "Hehehe, right. Sorry about that." She sighed and slung her bags onto her back. "Well, guess I'm off then. Ta."

Kite grabbed her sleeve. "Wait, where are you going?" It'd been nice to see someone his own age, instead of just Ging, who was irresponsible and laid-back. Ayane blinked back at him. "I'm going home. I lost, right?" Kite turned to Ging, who was leaning against a nearby tree, just watching. "Ging…?"

The Hunter shrugged. "Do what you want. Stay or leave, I don't care. But if you stay, you'll have to keep up. You may have been able to keep up with Kite today, but the regimen is gonna get a lot harder." Ayane's face brightened. "You got it, Mr. Ging! I'll be fine, you'll see!" She grinned and threw her packs under the tree again. "Ok, Kite! Rematch! I won't lose again! This time, it's just hand-to-hand." Kite smirked and tossed his katana under the tree as well. "We'll see about that."


End file.
